The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-03-22
PENNY CAFES"
z Cheap and Harmless Kind of
Amusement.
Fat and Lean Women and Freaks OF
Nature" Seen i'm Londou-SOme-
thing About the Risks of the
business.

Londoni One Saturday night | WAS
strolling aimlessly along one of the
principal market thoroughfareS in the
nei9hborhood of Hoxton. when my at
tentiOn was drawn To "a crowd of people
outside a shop. the window of which,
instead of being filled. as usual. with
goods suited to the requirements of the
locality. was occupied by "a large can
vas, painted all over in glaring colors
with marvellous figures of performing
dogs, fat women, skeletons. giants. red
Indians and IA number of odd-lnoking
animals, TO classify which under their
correct genus would have puzzled the
most eminent living naturalist. In
front of the shop a piano-organ. evil
IDENTIFY ordered To stop there for the oc-
casiOn, poured forth such cheering laws
as Wait till the Clouds Roll By
''Jeanie." and Mother. I've Come
Home TO Die varied by Il lively Jig or
breakdown, which was the signal for a
number of children i'm the roadway to
perform singular gymnastic fcats. which
passed muster for dancing. A fat man
with Il red face and Il very hoar>e voice
stood guard at the entrance 10 the shop
the inside of which WAS concealed
from the eager gaze of those without
by dirty curtain OF green baizc
stretched across the doorway-and en-
deavOred to induce the crowd To paw
their pennies and walk in His har-
angue. frequently repeated. was some
thing like this: ''JuSt a-goin' Ia begin.
Signor Barberino great travelling show
admission one penny-whcre can he
seen the wonderful fat woman of Cali
fOrnia. and that Observation-Disclosures freak
o nature, the armless child. which can
write with its feet. and never knows the
loss Gifts harms. eos il never had none.
and also COS mater as perwided 1t with
legs what does twice a. well.
Now, then. there-stand aside. and let
the lady pass CThis to group of
small boys who had got as near to the
doorway as possible.) Thank YOU.
marm.-Just a-goin' TO begin. as ex-
hibited before all the crowned 'eads of
Europe and all the ryal family, and
specially engaged to appear at the
Himperial theater of Picking. i'm Chimney.
No dogs admitted, sir: and children
must be paid for, -Signor Barberino's,"
etc
The impression left on most of the
crowd seemed to be that if they missed
that show, il would be a matter of re-
gret to them for the rest of their nat
ural life. for they pressed eagerly for
ward and paid their pennies. I'm about
seven minutes the shop was crammed
with a miscellaneous crowd of men.
women-with some of their purchases
for the Sunday dinner bullying out of
baskets too small to contain them-and
boys and girls of that intermediate age
between childhood and youth: little
children in the charge of bigger chill
dren: and one or two OF better class
OF Young men. who seemed to have
dropped in merely for the fun of the
thing.
entered with q number OF others.
and obtained place as near a. | could
to another hanging of green baize at
the further end of the shop. for inn
agined that behind this must be con-
eealed some of the wonders 80 graphic
ally painted on the canvas outside.
The place having become full. the green
baiZe was drawn aside. and Young man
with Il very East-end look handed out a
short. fat, ugly, greasy-looking woman
of about four feet i'm height, but weigh
inc. | should think. about eighteen
stone. She was dressed in a SNOWY,
tawdry material, covered with clabO-
rate trimmings equally tawtlry, and
seemed pleased with the amount Of at
tention she received. When the East
end Young man had finished a minute
account of her height. weight. age,
measurements. etc, members of the
crowd were requested to ''shake 'ands
with the fat LADY, and an intimation
was given that should any of the audi
snce, in the performance of this act of
friendly greeting. pass any coin of the
realm from their own into the lady's
nalm. whv-well. the fat lady would